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matroska

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Posts posted by matroska

  1. 18 hours ago, shahan said:

    my budget is 1.2M maximum 

    First off if this is your budget - you're likely looking at the lower end of the spectrum as far as Trad Sunny is concerned. Good condition Trad's are a bit above that range. But when it comes to Lancer you can buy a relatively good specimen for the budget. If you're looking for a more of a fun-to-drive car i'd say the Lancer, but the Trad will be a bit more grown up, more comfy and the more refined car overall. But a lot needs depends on how each car has been maintained. 

    18 hours ago, shahan said:

    What are the problems and concerns?

    Both these cars are 35 (Trad) or 40 (Lancer) years old - so corrosion will be a huge concern. Pay very good attention to corrosion. Then interiors. Interiors are tough to sort out. Pay attention to steering in the Lancer- rack related issues are a bit common. I suggest you keep around 200,000 of your budget to sort out any issues. This could be simple things like worn out break pads etc, or a carb that's messed up, or a faulty transmission that can get messy. 

    These cars were relatively bullet proof in their heyday - but now require a lot of TLC and close monitoring. 

     

  2. 11 minutes ago, Gummybr said:

    Made by the European company of a US major manufacturer to AVENGE moRe sales from the Brit cars.

    that rear light was too obvious wasn't it :D ? yes indeed it reminds you of a man who came down from the hills to avenge for something :D with the answer dangling on a string maybe we wait for someone else to take it? 

    • Like 1
  3. 11 hours ago, Venuja Batheegama said:

    his sparked an interest in me to check it out too and the pictures on the Ad seem legit too. However the owner is asking for around 13 lakhs for it which is more in the high range for these cars

    Kind of high.  Last december there was a mint condition Lancer for 1 Mill in Ratnapura doing the rounds in the groups - but then prices went up. There's another restored Lancer box model, fitted with doors and internals from a GT(mind you Lancer 17X series GT's hardly ever got here) asking 1.6 M. Those of course do not move. If someone is in a hurry they will sell for a reasonable price. So don't be afraid to bargain. 

    You should not excessively worry about something like mileage on a car twice as old as you ... 99% of the time if you buy a Lancer Box model the mileage on that is' gonna be wrong. So ignore the mileage, get the car properly checked if you're going for something like that. 

     

    2 hours ago, iRage said:

    On one hand it was a period where Lankans were afraid of anything more than 1.3L engines. So most of the pre-facelift ones were 1.3L variants which were DX, TX and XE grades. Only a very few pre-facelift SE trim levels came in to the country because of that (the SE trims were not offered with a 1.3L engine).

     a bit OT @iRage : I do vaguely remember as a kid of adults having the sentiment 1.3 was the perfect engine capacity this was in the 90's. But what  I noticed was that with the Trad Sunny B12 - the majority of the cars are HB12's - was it again the availability of higher trims  that made them go for the bigger engine variant?

  4. 35 minutes ago, iRage said:

    Not all AE91 sedans are EFI...the pre facelift came with the 5A-F carb engine. The 5A-FE made it to the AE91 sedan only with the facelift, or a mid cycle refresh before the facelift...I cant remember. The AE91 FX hatchback and Trueno/Levin did come with the 5A-FE from the start.

    Yup which is why I said 

    On 2/7/2024 at 2:21 PM, matroska said:

    The AE91, mostly JDM imports ,come with 5A(1.5) EFI engines

    I think the brand new imports   were EE90's : 1.3 carb engines. (heck even the tercels as far back as 1998 that were imported brand new had 2E's) 

    I've seen more EFI AE91's than Carb AE91's locally - yes as you mentioned the car launched with the 5A-F (the toyota jp brochure mentions the 5A-F not the FE) The same applies for the Carina/Corona AT170 series, older models come with the 5A-F carb, while majority available locally have the 5A-FE. 

  5. 26 minutes ago, iRage said:

    decent Starlet from the 80s has a bit a mischievous kick to it or that an E80 Corolla's

    Exactly this is why i suggested the Starlet - and yes an e80 corolla/sprinter has the same kind of feel to it. 

    26 minutes ago, iRage said:

    AE91s and B12s are out unless they are in bad shape and glancing at the quick site seems to be the case with Carinas and Coronas too..and KE72s...jeez. What has happened to car prices.

    OP's RWD obsession aside, I'd still always recommend the AE91, given it's EFI and relatively modern so it's easier to live with. 

    Prices of all these took a nose dive last year but with the leasing rates going down many  are buying cars and generally prices have risen. However the demand is there for Newer cars, ideally hatches with auto gearboxes - the vitzes, peroduas, suzukis, Honda Fits ... You might see AE91's listed for 1.8M but they are just hovering there for months. Someone I know sold his AE91 which was in really good condition for 1.35M after advertising it for 1.55 - IF OP is persistent enough he can get a decent car for his price. 

    Anyways OP will need to have some buffer for repairs - they will come for sure.

    IF budget constraint is there - a left field suggestion might be a diesel since they're a lot cheaper - ideally something with a 2C engine. But of course they come with their separate set of problems. 

  6. 1 hour ago, iRage said:

    Since you are asking it has to be something outrageous like a Sunny/Pulsar hatchback or even a Corolla II/TERCEL...

    well no at least from the same continent. So since it's been over a day I'll post the answer 

    The answer to Gummybr's quiz is the Rover Metro 

    image.png.488c0b8f4f46067711ac18f161e2127e.png

    There is one for sale on a local car-selling website (vehicle shed). Listed as a Rover Metro. Looks legit apart from the Skoda Logo on the rear door. However when you run the number in the DMT app turns out is is registered as a 1987 Skoda 130L. 

    My guess is that the Rover's actual CR is being used to run a dodgy mini somewhere so somebody probably decided to use a rusted up Skoda book for the Rover and stuck a skoda logo in the back just to make it look legit. 

     

    • Haha 1
  7. 15 hours ago, Venuja Batheegama said:

    is the ae91 a rear wheel drive car

    nope it's not. The last common RWD car from the corolla was the KE7X series. (the RWD AE85 apart)

    OK I get your RWD preference - there is a slight difference when you drive a RWD ( I used to have a RWD Lancer ) 

    15 hours ago, iRage said:

    In the 80s most mainstream cars went FWD so that is what you will have to deal with. If you really want RWD for your budget then you are looking at avg to below avg KE72 (i.e. DX wagon) or something older like a flat/l light lancer, KE70/50/30 Corolla, B210/310 series Sunny

    One slightly non mainstream early  80's car is the Carina A60 (or a Corona AT140) : Body parts are a bit difficult to find for the Carina A60 - but it's one beautiful car (at least to me) and with the quad lamps it's as retro-cool as it gets. The mechanical parts will not be a huge problem. But cosmetic parts are - if you notice many A60's in Sri Lanka are without the front signal light lenses nowadays.  

    If you want a relatively head-ache free common RWD Car that can run reasonably reliably for your budget there are two mainstream choices. 

    1) Corolla KE72/74 wagon.

    2) Mitsubishi Lancer 172A (Box model) 

    prices of these cars vary from around 400,000 to 2 Mil depending on condition. your budget will fetch you a good specimen.  Many of these would be rust buckets painted up so you have to be very careful in sourcing one. 

    Mechanical and body parts are not too difficult to find.  You will need to find a carb-competent mechanic.  The generation of Carb-competent mechanics are now in their 60's and retiring so that might be a challenge. 

     

     

  8. 3 hours ago, Venuja Batheegama said:

    and im searching for a more fun to drive manual car that i can learn from about owning and maintaining one but also something a bit reliable

    that's a very interesting budget.  Off the top of my head

    1. Corolla AE91 Sedan/ Corolla EE96 Wagon - Simple basic cars. The EE96 wagon comes with a 2E (1.3) Carbureted engine. So might need a good carb mechanic - a very rare species nowadays. The AE91, mostly JDM imports ,come with 5A(1.5) EFI engines, tachometers, and a 5 speed manual gear box.  Personally the AE91 is a pretty thing to look at specially with a nice set of alloys. (There are carbureted AE91's too). CE90/CE96  are the diesel variants, comes with 1.8 L 1C engine and occasionally 2C. 

    2. Nissan B13 Sunny - AKA Doctor Sunny, basic and common car. The GA15 is a decent motor comes with a 5speed manual gearbox on the 1.5 L variant.( Go for the 1.5 L variant ) The diesel SB13, is a bit of a lazy dog, but supposed to be economical. Maintenance is a bit high on the diesels, but if you're a very new driver the diesels can be a bit more forgiving specially if you're a bit iffy on the clutch. (applies to all diesels) 

    3. Toyota Starlet EP71/76 - Small, nippy and fun, comes with the same 2E 1.3 L engine as standard. 4 speed manual. I'd stick away from the 1N powered diesel ones, since engine parts for 1N is becoming quite difficult to find. 

    Mazda BG5's are also in your budget, so are Corona/Carina AT170/CT170's, Nissan Bluebird U13's etc. B12 Trad sunnies are also at the lower end of your budget. 

     

     

  9. 1 hour ago, Gummybr said:

    Yes interesting indeed.

    Gummybr,

    I ran the plates on the DMT app -  guess what it's registered as? :D 

  10. 58 minutes ago, Gummybr said:

    You want to go ahead or let someone search for the glorious Group B era and come to the answer?

    Yeah let's give it 24 hours :) 

    1 hour ago, Gummybr said:

    The car looks original though

    yes the interior, even the upholstery checks out with the original. Maybe the skoda badge is just a badge after the original got lost? Also interesting is to see what this is registered as in the CR. 

  11. 41 minutes ago, Gummybr said:

    Ok then here we go guys, available in Sri Lanka and there is one for sale on the net. Two hints - This car belongs to a group of automobile companies and the predecessor to the one in subject ran in the famous Group B era of WRC.

    Triv0010.jpg

    Triv0000.jpg

     

    A small detail, the car in the advertisement is a bit confused by its brand identity where it has the front badges from the correct make and rear with badges from Skoda

    15 Sri Plates 
    roaming in an urban area 😉 

  12. 7 hours ago, iRage said:

    That car has always reminded me of Cheddar Cheese

    sacrebleu! why does it remindedeau tu de fromage? Le name of le vehicule  is derivedeaux from a greek word...

     

    image.png

    • Haha 1
  13. 16 minutes ago, Gummybr said:

    Big Aussie made car from a US automaker.

    Yes indeed. I remember a 5.0 L V8 variant by an Aussie performance company was  in Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 as a regular and a police car. 

    • Thanks 1
  14. 8 hours ago, Gummybr said:

    Well I just wanted to put @matroska on the correct path. Oh well lets see how this goes, I am including just one part of a vehicle and if you need any clues just ask. Yes this is available in Sri Lanka

    Triv 001.jpg

    image.png.84718d78ea033fe659e3df02986ad989.png

     

    Very Murrican I must say! 

  15. 1 hour ago, Gummybr said:

    Well I just wanted to put @matroska on the correct path. Oh well lets see how this goes, I am including just one part of a vehicle and if you need any clues just ask. Yes this is available in Sri Lanka

    Triv 001.jpg

    I'm not able to identify at the first go - based on the nature of the lights I'm guessing an American SUV or Truck ? Am i on the right track? 

  16. 14 hours ago, iRage said:

    Remaining within the shores of SL....here you go...

     

    image.png.89ee5603bfa92f310038a4ecfebfc87d.png

     

    okay...a second picture to make it easier...
    image.png.ea2a2e47f7fc77916401c04c1e2078b2.png

    Had a bit of an unsavory reputation in the West but remains a symbolic and much-loved vehicle of a nation. I believe it still holds the record for the most number of models/variants that it can be had in.

    Had it been the first image only - I would have gone with the VW LT...but in the second image the wiper blades should be fixed a bit lower I guess so it has me doubting 😕 

  17. On 1/28/2024 at 6:06 AM, iRage said:

    Regulars : What do you say ?

    I say 'Aye' - as long as : 

    1) IF The car is not present in Sri Lanka there needs to be at least a clue. 

    2) For cars not present in Sri Lanka, it needs to be something relatively well known - as in appeared in some referable material, pop culture reference etc. An obscure Chinese EV like Biaxoujin LongDragonDong XDK578.987.9083713JK, that is made by the fongsheng auto company for sale only in the Sichaun province is not cool. 

  18. 6 hours ago, Duan27 said:

    Aztec?

    you're on track 

    well the insect to be fair is not a well known name but think more on the lines of what irage mentioned 😉 

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